Since 1863

Pendleton

They’ve opened their home to you for hospitality and celebration. What do you bring along to say thank you? A bottle of wine is welcome and traditional. Isn’t there a more lasting way to express your gratitude?

Pendleton recently had the opportunity to work with renowned designer Andre Walker on a collection for Paris Fashion Week. Andre has an outstanding track record with fashion press and retailers. Every time he launches a collection, the fashion world swoons.

Yes, there’s a new one, but this is the old one. It arrived with muted fanfare and a creepy score by Angelo Badalamenti. Twin Peaks, that is. With its overhung skies, tall trees and abundant Pendleton clothing, it briefly took the national psyche by storm. It also stormed right to the top of the Nielsen ratings. Remember those? Well, that’s okay. Nielsen ratings used to mean a little more than they do now.

Twin Peaks was a phenomenon. We all wandered around the day after an episode, confused and asking each other, who were these people? What happened to Laura Palmer? Was that really the blonde chick from Mod Squad? And exactly why was that lady carrying around that log?

We’d like to give you a little tour of Twin Peaks territory, especially the Pendleton aspects.

Let’s start with Audrey, because Audrey was so…timeless. Oh Audrey, your nature was obvious. Your taste in men was terrible. But your taste in skirts was impeccable.

For reasons no one understood, even though the show was set in the late eighties, Audrey wore a 1950s bad girl ensemble of sweaters and reversible Pendleton skirts. No one complained. No one at all.

Audrey, we were never sure why you were dancing. Or really sure why we were watching. But you always held our attention.

Not much happened in the diner, but it was clearly the heart of the town.

One of our favorite shots. Leo, Shelly, Bobby. Leo’s bad attitude is just barely contained by his vintage Pendleton shirts.

Bobby was bad, and the shirt, well, it was badder, man. His hair is a little extreme, but the Pendleton shirt is on point.

Again, the nineties never arrived in Twin Peaks. The bad boys were Brando-esque, and the bad girls seemed more tired than wild.

This dude was scary. Even in a Topsman, he was scary.

But the good guys liked plaid, too. Agent Dale Cooper was straight arrow upon his arrival, but soon he was blending in with the locals in his fine Pendleton shirt. And he was impressed by the local coffee, as we recall.

We were contacted by the costumers for the new show about this particular jacket, worn by Sheriff Harry S. Truman. It was a vintage Pendleton, and they were hoping we had one in our archives. Sadly, we did not.

Men, mystery, and wool shirts. But even in Twin Peaks, men’s shirts were not safe from girls who insisted on stealing them.

Mr. David Lynch, the twisted mind behind the show, rocking his own plaid.

Yes, Twin Peaks was a place of Pacific Northwest mystery. To be honest, it wasn’t really the Pacific Northwest that most of us have ever lived in. There was more to life in Twin Peaks than we could ever understand. We still don’t quite understand it.

But when we hear that music, we will always think of plaid shirts, tall trees, misty skies and a damn good cup of Joe.

To show you our athleisure in action, here is Jessica Lindsey of Edge Movement Arts, posing near the St. Johns Bridge in Portland, Oregon. Along with the beautiful photos, Jessica talks about her path and her approach to teaching yoga.

I went through my initial yoga instructor certification and started teaching in 2008. I had been practicing various forms yoga since 1999. I initially started doing yoga after I tore my ACL in a dance performance and needed a gentle way to heal my body after I had surgery to repair it. Yoga allowed me to slowly ease into finding movement and range of motion after months of limited mobility, muscle atrophy, and an abundance of scar tissue post-surgery.

It was a slow process and I thought I was just doing it for the physical benefits at the time, but after each session I would feel so grounded and calm, like all the troubles of life and the world where somehow less significant or important. That is what really convinced me that yoga was something that I needed to have in my life long-term. Yoga changed me physically – longer, leaner, and more flexible use of my muscles, but it was the changes in how I experienced the world in a more joyful and positive way that feel the most significant now.

When I returned to my dance career I found that I had so much more awareness of what it meant to exist and be in my body, how to express with my body. As I went down the path of training to be a competitive ballroom dancer (or as we call it in the ballroom world, a “Dancesport Athlete”) I found yoga’s ability to create calm, centered energy helped to balance out the fire of being a competitive athlete.

Dance is my expressing outwardly to the world – doing part, yoga is my receiving, letting go and simply being part! Or to put it more simply…. Dance is Doing, Yoga is Being!

I draw from many different bodies of knowledge to influence what I offer to my students. Sometimes a classic “yoga asana” or pose is in order, other times I draw from the Chinese energy meridian system, from fascial and kinesiological stretching techniques, and other times from my knowledge from years working in veterinary surgery and the biomechanics of mammalian injury and recovery.

I am a body knowledge geek. I can spend hours researched the interconnected relationships of why stretching your foot will make your shoulder feel better, or why that tender spot on your thigh could mean that your liver is out of balance. The body is this beautiful puzzle and each person’s life experiences have shaped every inch of the person I see standing before me in a group class or a private session.

I recognize that no two people are the same and that no single variation of a pose is going to work for everyone. How could it? No one else has lived the life you have lived in the exact beautiful, crazy, messy way that you have. I honor that, see that, and try to the best of my ability to create an environment and a practice that lets my students own their personal freedom to choose what is right for them.

The most important aspects of how I decided what to wear when doing yoga are in no particular order:

Do I look good in it? By that I mean that when I look in the mirror I feel it is flattering and makes me feel good about myself.

Does it move well with me? there is nothing worse then a pair of yoga pants that feel like they are falling down or do not give me full range of motion. So really good stretch and cut are important.

Is the fabric comfortable and breathable and odor-resistant? Since I am physically active all day long in my professional life, it is so important that my clothing feels nice to exist in, and that it stays fresh all day long.

Great yoga clothing needs to be multipurpose. My favorite items are those that look good, feel good, and fit well not only during my practice, but when I greet new clients, and then go have a meal with friends.

Pendleton Woolen Mills store to open in Eugene in May | Local | Eugene, Oregon

Pendleton Woolen Mills plans to open a store next month in the 5th Street Public Market in downtown Eugene.

It will be in the space next to the front door of Inn at the 5th, the market’s boutique hotel.

“The 5th Street Public Market and Inn at the 5th is truly a special place, celebrated for the international and local shoppers and guests they attract,” Pendleton President Mort Bishop said in a press release. “We look forward to welcoming visitors and sharing the experiences of the Pendleton brand with travelers from around the globe as well as our neighbors next door.”

Diana Bray, the market’s general manager, said the addition of Pendleton Woolen Mills to the market “fits perfectly with our strategy to diversify our retail mix and expand our customer base. The unrepresented categories of men’s apparel and home products are exciting additions to the market.”

Family-owned Pendleton, which is based in Portland, has been weaving fabric in the Pacific Northwest since 1863.

The 5th Street Public Market’s roots date to 1976. The market is owned by longtime businessman and former Eugene Mayor Brian Obie.

Ed. Note: Please enjoy a post on National Tartan Day, parts of which have appeared before on our blog.

Thursday, April 6th is National Tartan Day. Some of our readers live, breathe, eat and sleep tartans. They are steeped in their clan histories. They know the difference between the ancient, dress, hunting and standard versions of their clan’s tartan. But other readers aren’t quite sure of what exactly makes a tartan a tartan. How does a tartan differ from any other plaid?

We say it best with the title of one of our most popular Pinterest boards: All tartans are plaids, but not all plaids are tartans. A tartan looks like a plaid, but it is so much more than that. A tartan is a statement of identity. Tartans were originally regional designs, worn as “plaids,” pieces of fabric worn slung over the shoulder. Scotland’s warriors wore their plaids with pride to announce their family affiliations and political loyalties.

The Dress Act of 1746 was enacted to prohibit the wearing of the plaid, as part of colonial suppression of the Highlands: That from and after the first day of August, One thousand, seven hundred and forty-six, no man or boy within that part of Britain called Scotland, other than such as shall be employed as Officers and Soldiers in His Majesty’s Forces, shall, on any pretext whatever, wear or put on the clothes commonly called Highland clothes (that is to say) the Plaid, Philabeg, or little Kilt, Trowse, Shoulder-belts, or any part whatever of what peculiarly belongs to the Highland Garb; and that no tartan or party-coloured plaid of stuff shall be used for Great Coats or upper coats, and if any such person shall presume after the said first day of August, to wear or put on the aforesaid garment or any part of them, every such person so offending … For the first offence,shall be liable to be imprisoned for 6 months, and on the second offence, to be transported to any of His Majesty’s plantations beyond the seas, there to remain for the space of seven years.

That’s right, tartans were illegal; inflammatory and subversive. If you’re not a history buff, but you watch Outlander , you already know this.

In 1782, the Dress Act was repealed through the following proclamation: Listen Men. This is bringing before all the Sons of the Gael, the King and Parliament of Britain have forever abolished the act against the Highland Dress; which came down to the Clans from the beginning of the world to the year 1746. This must bring great joy to every Highland Heart. You are no longer bound down to the unmanly dress of the Lowlander. This is declaring to every Man, young and old, simple and gentle, that they may after this put on and wear the Truis, the Little Kilt, the Coat, and the Striped Hose, as also the Belted Plaid, without fear of the Law of the Realm or the spite of the enemies.

When the Dress Act was repealed in 1782, tartans were no longer worn as ordinary Highland dress. They were adopted as the official national dress of Scotland. Tartan grew from regional plaid to warrior garb to a badge of kinship. These patterns are a visual illustration of the bond between personal and political freedom.

We’re not tartan experts at Pendleton, just fabric experts. When we we use these designs, we do it with respect for the history of the design we’re using. Our designers refer to rare reference books stored under archival conditions in our design department (please don’t ask to see them because they will not hold up to visitors, we have to say no). We also use modern tartans, like Canada’s Maple Leaf, and our own Pendleton Hunting Tartan, registered with the Scottish Tartan Society in 1999.

Tartans have been part of the Pendleton offering since our earliest days, beginning with our motor robes. We call them that because we originally wove them to cover the laps of motorists in the earliest days of the automobile.

We’ve been making tartan shirts, Topsters, motoring caps and robes for men since the 1920s. Women have always been part of the Pendleton tartan action, as well. Today, tartans have taken fashion by storm, because these patterns are timeless, we return to them.

If you’re wanting to add tartan, but you’re not sure where to start, try Black Watch tartan, the tartan designed to look black from a distance (pictured is a vintage Pendleton shirt, get a new one from us here — or here, if you want a Sir Pendleton!).

This is also known at the Government or 42nd tartan, developed to wear by the Black Watch, one of the early Highland Independent Companies. From a distance, the pattern reads black. It’s the stealth tartan. Around here, we call it Highland Camo, and though it’s one of our perennial bestsellers, it’s a challenge to photograph for a catalog. But we do, as you can see if you pay us a visit at pendleton-usa.com. We have tartan items galore for women, men, and home.

We hope your National Tartan Day is a good one, and remember: Wear Your Plaid With Pride.

No, this is not the product. You can’t see the product until #ForceFriday.

But don’t forget the party! We’re taking it to the streets!

On September 3rd , please join the #ForceFriday Block Party in front of our Home Store in Portland, Oregon’s Pearl District. The party will happen on Broadway between Davis and Everett streets. What to expect: food carts, costume party, street performers, classic cars, prizes, giveaways, music, movie clips and special appearances. Event goes from 10 P.M. to 1 A.M. Pre-orders for the special product start September 4th at 12:01 A.M.

No, this is not the product, either. But it’s so cool that you have to come to the party, yes?

Best of all? If you come to the party, you enter for a chance to win an Ultimate Collector’s set of Pendleton Star Wars product, all yours.

If you want to see the product in person, you need to come to the party; or, you can see photos at our website at http://www.pendleton-usa.com . Preorder there, too!

This is not the special product, either. This is your invitation. Use it.

It’s time to say good-bye to a fascinating show. We have been watching the evolution of style on Mad Men for seven seasons. With the year off for the writers’ strike and the split final season, that is close to ten years of sociopolitical history under the guise of entertainment. We are sad to see it go.

We’ve seen Pendleton on Mad Men’s men in robes, sportcoats and Topsters.

Don Draper sampled plaid as the years went on.

Don dabbled in plaid, but never seemed comfortable in it. In so many ways, Don was a libertine, but his taste in clothing remained as conservative as Pete’s politics.

Pendleton had a breakout role when Peggy disguised her pregnancy under the waistband of an ever-higher Pendleton reversible skirt–or Turnabout as it was called back then. It has been nearly impossible to find a good still featuring this skirt, so this one will have to do.

As she evolved into an actress, her dramatic eye makeup, extravagant hair and miniskirts were so much edgier than anything we were up to in the late sixties.

We always enjoyed the style evolution of Peggy Olson. She began as proper and plaid, and retained her taste for buttons, bows, high necklines and cropped jackets.

Yes, Peggy started in plaids, and she ended in plaids. Her later outfits were almost always polyester doubleknit. That happened quite a bit in the seventies. We can forgive Peggy, because this is the finest visual of the last season, right here:

So now it’s over. But a glimpse of the future is found in Sally Draper’s wardrobe. She wore plaid from her earliest years on the show.

She tried the go-go boots and the ponchos, but always returned to the plaid-centric style that was so popular in the late sixties and early 70s.

We had a line called “Young Pendleton” just for the Sally Drapers of the age. Two of the ads below feature a young Cheryl Tiegs. She’s walking a lamb in her Pendleton jacket, as one did.

Love it or hate it, the finale has happened. We will miss the style, the intrigue, the disregard and comeuppance of this particular cast of characters. Thanks for the memories, Mad Men.